Europe’s 2026 droughts show the need for stronger global partnerships on water

After months of hot, dry weather, European countries are at crisis point. Sharing knowledge and finance with countries like Kenya, South Africa and Eswatini can help to secure vital water resources for people and nature.

Across Europe, millions of people face water restrictions after a summer of extreme heat. The hit to crop yields, energy systems and waterborne trade amounts to tens of billions, if not hundreds of billions of euros .

Climate change has amplified Europe’s heatwaves and increased the severity of the 2026 drought . With these effects expected to intensify, Europe can learn a lot from African leaders – and share resources and knowledge in turn. Countries like South Africa, Kenya and Eswatini have been here before.

What is Europe doing to tackle drought?

The European Commission has committed to strengthening drought management in its 2025 European Water Resilience Strategy , promising guidance to member states on drought planning and improved information and early warning. More fundamentally, it puts much more emphasis on reusing water and restoring the ecosystems which smooth peaks and troughs in water availability, and quality, over time. However, research has shown some member states are much better prepared than others. Drought does not stop at national borders, nor does risk of future droughts disappear when it rains.  A proactive approach, joined up between regions, countries and sectors, is key.

In the UK, the Starmer government promised to overhaul water management . If implemented by the Burnham administration, strengthened regional planning and investment in water storage could help to better manage drought. However, reforms could go further. For example the government has stopped short of requiring planners to check with water companies that they can supply big new housing and infrastructure developments.

What can Europe learn from African experience?

Kenya has revolutionised its approach to drought risk management since a 2010-11 drought led to widespread hunger. To reduce reliance on emergency humanitarian aid - often too little, too late - the country has built early warning systems and proactive adaptation funding models. The National Drought Management Authority takes the lead, while local authorities verify data and deliver support and coordination on the ground. As for many low- and middle-income countries, however, Kenya can still struggle to find the resources to translate warnings into an effective response.

South Africa has taken steps to restore degraded catchments, following a water crisis so bad it made international headlines. Cape Town was on the brink of turning off the taps to households and businesses in 2018 - "Day Zero". After narrowly avoiding the worst, the authorities turned to innovative, nature-based ways to make water supply more resilient, and to fund these measures. For example, the Cape Water Performance-Based Bond issued recently by FirstRand Bank raised 2.5 billion Rand (around $150 million) to clear thirsty invasive plants so more water flows into reservoirs. Such measures can cut costs for water management overall, while boosting biodiversity .

Eswatini has made a major shift in drought risk management over the past decade. Its approach blends indigenous knowledge, such as cues for planting crops, with early warning systems and rules on who can use water when. Despite being one of the smallest countries in Africa, it has become a regional knowledge hub. In 2025 , it hosted a landmark forum and launched a Centre of Excellence on Drought Resilience.

Partnership works both ways

These examples show Europe and Africa can learn from each other on beating droughts. The EU is sending positive signals on many aspects. Yet sustaining global partnerships depends on trust.

Many European governments are cutting development finance, which squeezes bilateral public climate finance . This is hampering adaptation and water management efforts across Africa. In Northern Kenya, people are once again going hungry under severe drought conditions. Even emergency food programmes are falling short.

A global drought deal in Ulaanbaatar?

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification ( UNCCD ) is an important multilateral forum for addressing drought. UNCCD talks in 2022 saw the launch of an International Drought Resilience Alliance , co-chaired by Senegal and Spain, which brings together 45 countries from Europe, Africa and elsewhere. Saudi Arabia initiated another partnership at COP16 in 2024.

Negotiators are considering a more formal pact at ongoing COP17 anti-desertification talks in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, due to end 28 August. Previously, South Africa and several other African countries backed a legally binding protocol for addressing drought worldwide, while the EU favoured a looser framework. Countries need to find a balance between strong accountability and nimble implementation to overcome the deadlock.

As countries in northern as well as southern Europe wake up to the challenges of drought, global partnerships based on real exchange of know-how and resources are more important than ever. They can help to address the web of interconnected risks that droughts multiply, from irregular and unsafe migration to inflation . When rains fall and reservoirs refill, it is time to prepare better for the next crisis - at home and abroad.